Pete,

I'm curious, you're giving up working as a Paramedic because of educational requirements? No offense but since when is learning more a detriment to working in EMS?

I work as a Set Medic with an EMT-B credential and given the level of some of the folks I see working in EMS, I wish the standards and educational requirements were higher. Long range plans are to continue with my Respiratory Therapy degree and move into that field. RT requires an AS degree just to get started, unlike EMS which in some states doesn't even require a full high school education.

One of, if not the biggest problem in EMS is the lack of educational standard and requirements, the reason why many EMS workers are not more respected in the medical field is due to the lack of training and educational standards. The NREMT is only now getting to the point where Paramedic training programs will have to be certified in order for graduates to take their national test and it's expected to take another 3 years to implement that. For those not in the field, it's the equivalent of a school being certified by a national body of experts.

JohnE